TRIP 06 DAY 06, Saturday, May 23, 2009: Canyon Creek Stage Stop, Oregon Trail, to Highway 20 at Tollgate Road
Today’s light breakfast included fried eggs, nut pancakes with peanut butter and syrup, and plenty of fresh fruit.
We were out the door by 7:30 a.m., and Joe started walking at 8:00 a.m. I drove ahead 3.8 miles or so and waited for him, spotting three wolves dashing across the road ahead of me as I drove. I parked at a farm in the startlingly green valley created by Canyon Creek. It sneaks up on you in the desert, and suddenly you are standing looking down into this beautiful oasis with farm buildings and grass and trees. While I was sitting there, the farmer came by and talked a little. He confirmed that this was part of the Oregon Trail, and he pointed out the old stone walls that still remain from what used to be a stage stop on the Oregon Trail. Here is what Gus Gustafson had to say about this: ”When you drop down to cross the creek you will notice the old Canyon Creek stage stop. The green valley was a popular watering hole for Oregon Trail travelers and later an important stop for stage coaches heading to and from the Boise area.”
When Joe arrived, we drove back to the beginning, and I started walking about 9:30 a.m. Again, I felt the exhilaration of being in a vast sea of sagebrush on a road with no traffic whatsoever. Since it was Memorial Day weekend, I expected to see a few people drive through, but in 6 hours, I only encountered one vehicle besides our rental car. The blanket of blue-green-gray sage climbed the lower edge of the approaching range.
At 3.8 miles, I reached the oasis and drove the car from there ahead to where Joe had walked. As I drove up behind him, I assumed he knew I was coming, although he did not look back; but as I slowed down and started to pass on his left, he stepped directly into my path. I slammed on the brakes and swerved left, sliding in the gravel a little. He had had his headphones on and was at the same time looking at a snake (which, of course, was now gone), and had not heard me coming. One car all day, and your own almost runs over you! We drove back to Canyon Creek Ranch, and I continued my walk as he drove ahead again.
My next segment began by climbing the far side of the little valley and re-entering the world of sagebrush. Almost immediately I reached a junction between three or four dirt roads. I made a sharp left (to the north) onto Canyon Creek Road, then in about a hundred yards turned east again onto Immigrant Road. I knew from the map and the pre-driving we had done along this road that it would climb into the mountains and come out at Highway 20, thus completing the Big Shortcut. At the point where the mountain seemed to “start” rising from the desert, I could see the tracks of the Oregon Trail stretching off to the right along the base of the range toward Rattlesnake Station, the spot where Mountain Home originated during the years of migration along the trail. I would not have known this except for what Gus had written: ”Immigrant Road follows the Oregon Trail route, and you can see the white markers that show the exact place of the OT. The road will cross the trail when you start to head up the hill. The OT heads out to highway 20 to the original site of Mountain Home. It was first called Rattlesnake Station, and when the railroad came through, the town was moved to its present location.”
I had reached the Rocky Mountains! I repeatedly saw many of some kind of large insect jumping ahead of me in the roadway, much like a small tree frogs. On closer examination, these were what I believe to be Mormon crickets. See picture. As I walked along, I frequently checked my GPS for elevation. We had started the day at somewhere around 3400 feet; now I watched as it crept up: 3500, 3600, 3700, 3800 feet. By the time I reached the car, I was above 4000 feet in elevation, and the way ahead looked to climb even more steeply.
I drove the car from here to Highway 20, where Joe had finished his walk and was waiting for me.
We drove back, and I continued my walk. The road ahead climbed along the side of a mountain with a deep valley to the left. Both sides of the valley rose to basalt rock formations rising out of green slopes. The blue sky was starting to cloud up, and a few small but spectacular cumulus clouds would form and evaporate. The elevation continued to increase, and the pace definitely slowed as the temperature rose. The blister on my left foot was quite vociferous by now, but not loud enough to drown out the roar of sensory input provided by the mountain scenery. Elevation topped out near the end at over 4600 feet, an elevation gain in the last 4 miles of more than 1000 feet. I at last reached the highway, where Joe picked me up, and we drove back into Mountain Home on Highway 20.
Walk rating: 9.6 (big points for no traffic, lots of nature)
Money found: Day: $.50 Trip: $.95 Project: $15.38
Distance: Day: 10.4 miles Trip: 59.7 miles Project: 554.7 miles
Starting point: 43 16.273N 115 46.423W (elevation 3436 feet)
Ending point: 43 14.836N 115 35.145W (elevation 4604 feet)
Significance: Completed the “Big Shortcut.” Entered the Rocky Mountains.
I was very tired and took an afternoon nap after showering. Dick grilled ground sirloin hamburgers for dinner, and Joanna cooked roasting ears. Another great meal in good company.
